Breathing Tube Fear

[Superbob]

Going into my first OHS in 2005, the breathing tube was one of my biggest fears. But as I learned on that day, it can be a lifesaver. Through the fog of the ICU, I heard a nurse say of me, "His oxygen intake level is catastrophically low!" Had I not had that tube to help me out, I might not have made it through.

Going into OHS No. 2 in 2019, I worried about the breathing tube not so much. And when I woke up after the surgery, it was out.

Chances are, you won't even be aware of it. But if you are, just relax and go with the flow. Remember that it is there to help you, and will be with you no longer than necessary.

 

[PeterII]

All i remember is a voice saying "Now I am removing the Tube", no idea what he was talking about, felt nothing, saw nothing, "for me" was like never had a tube in me.

 

[caro]

I was told by the nurses that I coughed it out in record time. Luckily the anesthesia was still in effect to make me not remember it. I woke up without it. My family didn’t even see with me it in ICU. I was so worried my throat would be sore but It was totally fine.

 

[Critter]

I vaguely remember being told to take a deep breath and the next memory I have is being wheeled in chair to step down unit where I stayed until dismissed 3 long days later. When I heard the voice I knew I had made to the other side and realized that I was alive. Hardest thing I have ever done. I got well taken care of.

 

[BillDaThrill]

The breathing tube turned out to be one of the things my wife and I still laugh at. I woke up, immediately noticed the breathing tube - started thrashing around and began to grab at the tubes. My wife and the nurses begged me to calm down and that the tubes would quickly be removed. WELL, that's what I thought was happening. The truth was that I only slowly and barely lifted my arm (no thrashing or grabbing) and after my wife saw me wake, I lowered my arm. I was so out of it that my reality was much different then actual. The tubes were gone quick and it was much less stressful that I expected.

 

[vitdoc]

Unless you go to the Mengele clinic you will be sedated if you need to remain on the tube. So generally if needed the tube is tolerable.
So don't worry.

 

[egar]

I woke up with the breathing tube still in. I was still quite groggy and don't remember the breathing tube causing any stress for me. Very soon after waking up, they removed the breathing tube and told me to cough as they pulled it out. Still somewhat sedated, that wasn't bad either. I do remember though being relieved it was out. Like with every tube, IV, and electronic connection there was a relief when they were removed. Whether it was actual physical relief or psychological, it did not matter, it was all progress.

 

[Zoltania]

I woke up with the tube in, and I knew from this forum that it would feel like breathing through a straw, so that helped me to stay calm and relaxed. I could hear the rhythm of the machine and could tell when a breath was coming in, so I was able to help it a little by timing my own breathing (such as it was) to match. That gave me a little more feeling of control.

 

[QuincyRunner]

I guess I'm one of the few that had a horrible experience with the breathing tube. Going into the surgery I had no fear about waking up with the breathing tube but if I ever need that surgery again, waking up with it still in WILL be my biggest fear. The experience for me was confusing and painful, and it was the worst part of my entire surgery and recovery. Like a previous poster said it felt like I was drowning and it has left an indelible mark on my psyche. I'm not sure if I panicked but I certainly was not relaxed and advising others to just relax in this situation is not going to make it so. Fortunately the medical staff saw my extreme discomfort upon awakening and knocked me back out before I attempted suicide, although I'm not sure how I would have done that.

 

[slipkid]

Like most of the posters above I can say that it should not be a big deal.

My own experience was that I was so groggy and out of it I had no idea what was going on.

All I remember is that it was like a dream when I woke up (did Yogi Berra ever say that? If not he should have).

When I awoke post-op in the ICU I thought I was lying on my back with some kind of moving belt hovering just above my chest with small clear plastic things on it moving from right to left. And had no idea where I was. For some reason I felt compelled to do a finger/thumb flick action at each of the plastic things as they went by, trying to knock them off of the belt.

I heard the voice of one of my sisters saying something like "LOOK, HE'S AWAKE!!" but I could not see very well, or not at all, had no idea where I was or what was going on, I was in lal-la land. Heard other voices saying unintelligible things. I believe that is when they took the tube out.

Next thing I knew I realized I was in a bed and the belt with the weird things were gone, and a male nurse and my sister were talking to me, making jokes, something about how I had kept the nurse up all night pumping fluids into me because my blood pressure was too low. Then somehow the conversation switched to cheesesteaks and the nurse said I was not allowed to eat those anymore. I don't know if I asked for one or what prompted that comment.

Point is you should be so out of it when you do start to come around that they will take that tube out b4 your conscious mind freaks out about it. Although from reading the other comments that is not nec. the case, but I don't think you should be worrying about it, go with the flow and you should be fine. There are a lot worse things in all of this and we all got through them. I didn't even know I had three chestubes or a catheter in me until days later.

My catheter removal story is very funny looking back on it but I can say that that was the single most painful part of the whole operation/hospital experience.

YMMV of course.

 

[Chuck C]

had no idea where I was. For some reason I felt compelled to do a finger/thumb flick action at each of the plastic things as they went by,

had no idea where I was or what was going on, I was in lal-la land.

Man, they just gave me the good stuff. It sounds like you got the reeeealllly good stuff

 

[Gail in Ca]

I became totally lucid with my breathing tube still in. I was freaked out, and thought I was choking to death. My nurse actually gave me my own suction device to use on myself when I thought I was choking so that helped calm me down. She was ticked that the doctor would not take out my tube, she said he was afraid of my surgeon!
My next 2 surgeries in 20 years, you can bet I always told the anesthesiologist I did not want to wake up with that breathing tube still in! It has never happened again.
Also, I was so awake that when my surgeon did come in early in the AM, I can describe how it felt to have it removed. It felt like I was delivering the placenta through my mouth. Yuk! But, then it was out, and all was good.

 

[Amy]

How it was for me -

I woke up, eyes closed, tried to take a breath and couldn’t; tried again and couldn’t; had about one second of panic/desperation - and then my body seemed to decide it would be better to go back to sleep than to live in the kind of stressful world where it’s a struggle just to take a breath - so I fell back asleep, and when I woke up again it was gone and forgotten. Don’t even remember them taking it out, or asking me to cough or anything.

i guess what you could do is remind yourself it’s normal to not be breathing yourself, but that it’s okay, even though it feels weird. And to see for yourself that even though you aren’t breathing, you’re just fine.

 

[tezza]

The breathing tube was the thing that scared me the most, at the time of my first surgery, so I totally understand your fear. But my experience was very similar to many others here...I was very groggy, and I don't recall being awake until just prior to the tube coming out. I woke to someone telling me to give a cough, and before I realised what was happening, the tube was out. So it was not a problem at all. In fact, it was such a no big deal for me, that it wasn't something that I was concerned about at all for the second surgery. Second time round, I recall the doctor saying that he thought I was right to breathe on my own, but I don't recall the experience of having the tube in. Again, through my grogginess, I recalled being told to give a cough and the tube was out before I realised what was going on. At that stage, my experience is that I was so groggy, that I was really quite unaware of too much. So I think you will be fine. Best of luck.

 

[Rebecca]

When I woke up I had the breathing tube still in and my family was there. The doctor told me what valve I had. I tryed making the hand motion for water. I was so thirsty. I think they thought I was going to pull the tube out. They immediately put me back under and I woke up in different room with no vent. It is great just waking up and not being in heaven yet. Just don't fight the breathing tube. Just breath with it. I was in no pain. I have found out years later that my adult daughter was dramatized from seeing me on the vent. She said I looked dead. So take the time to prepare your family.